He was Gordon Freeman - twenty-eight years of age, tall, slimly built, brown well-kept hair, goatee, and a piercing stare hidden behind thick framed glasses. His appearance was no different to that of a year ago, before it all happened, but one thing had changed - his perception of the word he live in. His mind was wary, his wits ever sharp, but there is always a feeling of emptiness lingering inside him, for the friends he lost. He had little trust of his fellow man or animal. All had changed.
He nervously swiped invisible specks of dust off his smart, grey suit and tie while he waited. His employer would be briefing him on the developing situation shortly. While he waited, he drummed his fingers on the hard, leather chair, wondering why he had been summoned, after all that time...
"Mr.Freeman. A word please" His voice called over the loud speaker. Gordon swiftly stepped, heart pounding, into the, pale, neat office. "Hello Mr.Freeman. Please, have a seat" He slowly lowered himself into a chair by the desk. "I'll get straight to the point. As you know, there has been worrying events in the BorderWorld. Human deaths are plentiful at the hands of the Xonians, even now. Of course, we expected resistance after our domination of Xen, but the the number of casualties is exeeding our anticipated fatality toll by far." Gordon interrupted.
"So... what are you trying to tell me?"
"We are trying to tell you, Mr.Freeman, that we are not going to tolerate these losses any further. We need you to silence the Xen resistance groups' leaders with as little alien deaths as possible. Is this clear?" He stood up. " I'm sure the military personnal stationed on Xen will gladly assist you. And, of course, a little more training won't hurt Gordon. You know where it is. I'll have the portal opened for you shortly."
"Of course Sir. " They shook hands, and Gordon left his office. Fast.
As Gordon paced quietly into the familiar surroundings of his room he couldn't help but think about the past. Could he have prevented the Resonance Cascade? Why did it all go wrong? Nobody knew. Nobody really spoke of the past, even those whose lives weren't affected. Worse things have happened on the Earth, but the Black Mesa incident was something people instinctivly steered around. It was probably just a massive government slip-up, at least, thats what the media reckoned. Naturally, those people who disappeared were missed, but the Government had enough sense to keep Black Mesa's real project, and of course Xen under wraps when they coughed up a feeble excuse. They couldn't help but mention the Military presence there, so, according to them, the Scientists were fighting back. That's what caused all the Soldiers deaths. A weak, even laughable story, everyone knew that, but that was all that was conjured up. The papers still fought for the truth, as delicate as the subject was, but the Government was sticking with it. Gordon headed to the case where his HEV stood. It slid open, with a satisfying 'swish'. He slipped off his smart suit, donned some loose jeans and T-shirt, and literally stepped into the gleaming orange suit. As the soothing, cool metal pressed against him through his clothes, he felt the familier hatred, and guilt, well up inside him once more, but he forced himself to keep calm. Causing more unnecessary deaths on Xen wouldn't change the past. He had a job to do. And he was going to do it.
Gordon was no longer at the friendly Black Mesa Research Facility, apparently, all that was left of that was a smouldering crater. To be honest, Gordon didn't really know where he was. He had been shipped off so many times, all across New Mexico, he had eventually lost all interest in his location. It wasn't like it mattered at all. This time, he seemed to be in some kind of Military base, soldiers periodically passed by his room, heading to what he assumed to be the surface, maybe even to Xen. This not only made Gordon feel uneasy, but curious about the urgency about the way some of the young men moved. Did a major war break out and Gordon wasn't told? Thats how it seemed. Still, everything around him seemed, normal. All around him, the cold, white walls practically shone in the yellow ceiling lights, and black and white signs marked numerous doorways. He had briefly visited the training area when he was shown round a matter of weeks ago, but thoughts of his family were still clouding his mind that day, so where it was, basically haden't registered. His boss was obviously worried about the alien threat, and Gordon knew better than to keep him waiting, so he hastily followed a few scattered signs around many corridors, and, finally located it.
The training facility there was around the same size as Black Mesa's Hazard Course, but, as far as anyone could tell from the brief glimpse, far, far more complex, and without the holographic assistants. As Gordon uneasily stepped in, a friendly, female voice greeted him. It was Cassandra, the facilities 'expert' on the new HEV suits. " Mr. Freeman is it? Gordon Freeman?" He nodded almost shyly in reply. "Good. I see that you're suited up already. Its not exactly your first time in a HEV is it." She laughed, and smiled. Gordon couldn't help doing the same.
"Well, I can safely say that I have some experience in them." Cassandra seemed to have the smile permenantly attached to her face.
"Where do we begin?" Gordon asked. She glanced down at the paperwork in her hands.
"You'd better follow me. There's been some adjustments to your suit, so you'd better recap."
A loudspeaker on the wall crackled to life. "Mr. Freeman? Can you hear me?
Good. Now. I'm sure you remember the 'Hazard Course' from Black Mesa. This is just about the same, but we have modified your HEV in a couple of ways. You will be fully instructed on the use of your upgraded suit. Lets begin." A long hallway stretched before Gordon. "Mr. Freeman, you will be testing the stealth capability first. Crouch down, and make your way carefully across the room, avoiding the cameras." He navigated under the pipes, using boxes as cover, swiftly moving against the cameras movement, to the doorway on the other side. "Very good Gordon. I can see that you have done this before. Carry on. Oh, by the way, somebody needs to see you in Survaillance once you're done... fourth floor." He merely noded his head in response. "Please proceed to the next area."
"We need to practice jumping now. The suit automatically extends your normal jump distance by one third - even more with the upgraded long-jump module. You may continue with the task." Three platforms lay ahead - ones not unlike in the Hazard Course, only further apart. He took a deep breath and ran towards them. As he propelled himself into a jump, the HEV seemed to lurch forward, causing him to stumble as he reached the first platform. "You'll get used to it Gordon. Carry on" The speaker crackled again. He sighed and continued with the course. He soon reached the end, feeling a bit queasy because of the motion but still he managed to keep his balance well. "Good Gordon. Carry on. The training gets a bit more difficult from now on, but I dare say you're used to it."
The door opened in front of him, a HEV charging unit ahead. As he stepped up, the speaker sounded. "Gordon, you know this, but that is to charge your HEV. Please remember that yours can now hold more energy than you will be used to, and these drain reasonably quickly. Please charge up your suit, and step over to the blast doors." An 'arm' extended to the shoulder of his HEV, and he carefullu watched as the charge, which was projected onto his vision, steadily increased to 45. When the unit was depleted, Gordon moved over to the blast doors, and waited. "Your suit now has the ability to bypass certain security systems. Please remember that you will only have minimal security access normally, but if the need arises, use the built in radio to request permission to use this feature. I have enabled this now. Step up to the computerised lock, and place the back of your left hand on the top. Your suit will automatically bypass it. Please, continue."
A faint buzzing sound emitteds from the lock as Gordon passed his hand over it. A high-pitched beep sounded and the blast doors slid open, revealing a large, warm, empty room. The small speaker crackles into life yet again. "The doorway to your left houses the next stage of your training. In there you will find various hazards, which you may encounter in the line of duty. If your HEV depletes, please turn back before any serious injury follows. We have medical teams nearby if necessary. You are in safe hands Gordon." With those reassuring words behind him, the thick metal door glide open. He stepped in, ever wary of his surroundings. A faint 'hiss' of steam made him instinctively step back. His vision soon clouded and breathing became lumbered and heavy. The large room fogged up, and he struggled to find the doorway through the grey mist and boxes, but, until the heat seeped through, the steam had done little more than disorientate him. Water droplets soon formed on the cool walls and floor, even his suit. That made it slippery, but he soon groped his way through, all the time the ever increasing sapped his suit's power and burned his exposed cheeks. He struggled for air as his damp hands slid over the doorframe to locate the switch. His fingers finally closed over it and the wet door opened. Sweet, cool air hit his face and he collapse onto his knees as he stepped out.
"OK Gordon, continue. Just be glad you got out there so soon, its more dangerous than you think. You did good. Err, well done! Proceed." He swept tepid water off his face as that is said, feeling weak. He sighed once more, shaked his hair to get rid of the damp, and plodded through to the next section. "I daresay this bit will dry you off a bit Gordon, watch out." She warned. Without a word, Gordon automaticlly took in his surroundings. Grey, translucent walls held black vents, and the usual dark exit was on the opposite wall. 'This doesn't look good' He thought to himself, while still dripping onto the smooth floor. 'I can guess what’s gonna happen next.' He was right. Fire. Harsh, orange flames leaped out of the grates, blinding light filled the room
"Watch yourself in there. Your HEV will be able to absorb the heat most of the time, but if the energy is low, you better get out. Fast." The flames leapt out of the charred grates in a regular pattern. 'Easy enough' HE prepared himself for the nauseating lurch of the HEV, and leapt over the orange and yellow flames which were arcing across the room. He soon reached the exit, with his throat and eyes burning with the intense heat. But he had made it, and was one stage closer to the end of Basic Training. 'Basic Training? This? I don't want to know what advanced is all about...'
"We are fairly confident of your abilities, but there is one small test you should find fairly easy. Looks like you're going to get wet again." Yet again, he didn't respond, and carried on half-heartedly. The floor seemed to split into two just ahead. It veered off, revealed clear, sparkling water, two metres below. "Simply find your way through. I'll meet you at the final exit." He stepped off the end of the platform into the water, took a breath, and descended through the narrow tunnel. He could hear only the faint buzz of machines in the distance, and bubbles of air rising to the surface. His HEV didn't seem to weigh him down at all, and he swiftly made his way down the passage, towards the end. As he closed in on the hatch, he automatically started scanning for a switch, something to open it with. He noticed that it had some kind of simple handle built in, but still, panic rose through him while he attempted to open it,still struggling for air. The tempting thought turning back was driven out of his mind as he pulled the heavy switch. Bubbles clouded his sight over and over, again, as he tried to turn it again and again. When Gordon finally heared it click open, he was dizzy, and light headed. He carefully hoisted himself out of the water, and gasped for air. Cassandra was waiting there, standing in front of his crouched form, holding out a hand. "We should really get that handle fixed."
"What’s your name anyway?" Gordon asked her as they walk down through the exit. She laughed.
"Cassandra. Why?" She smiled.
"Just curious I suppose. So...what goes on through here?" He nodded his head towards the doorway to the right. "Weapons prototypes. Stuff like that." A radio on her waist just then crackled to life.
"Please tell Gordon that he is need immediately on Level Four: Surveillance. The situation is getting more severe as I speak. His training session will have to be re-scheduled" His stomach leaped into his throat.
"I better go" He muttered. "I'll see you later!" His feet echoed off the walls as he skidded round the corridors, leaving Cassandra staring after him in confusement. Something told him that this was urgent. Tension was high as he entered the surveillance room, in fact, the first thing that he noticed was the atmosphere. All of their attention was drawn towards one screen, and on it, a fierce battle raged. Human soldiers were taking cover in foxholes, behind bodies; anything they can hide behind they used. Two grunts were suddenly cast into into the air by grenades - launched by their own people. A young man mades the mistake of watching their ungraceful landing onto Xens rough terrain, and was cut down by a bolt of electricity. It was clear then that the Xonians were winning the battle, and everybody involved knew it. The unfortunate soldiers were battling their way to a glowing portal behind the attackers, but were being held back by the sheer human hatred from the aliens. Gordon watched the battle, transfixed, unable to believe the fierceness of the fight, and unable to believe the bravery of the surviving grunts.
"Gordon, you have arrived at last. We are opening a portal linked to the one behind the aliens you see there. There are good soldiers down there, who don't deserve to die like this. We need you to give them a helping hand. Get your gear and be here in five minutes" His employer said impatiently. Gordon glanced up from the screens, and started to jog to the armory, his head spinning. He open the armory via retinal scanner, and picked up some weapons he had hoped he would never have to use again...
Gordon knew the fear those soldiers would be feeling all too well. He had experienced the same, maybe even worse, but a year before. He knew that he had to hurry. He took the .357 Magnum off a weapons rack, and checked it over. He truly didn't want to use it, but many lives were at stake. He holstered in a specially designed slot in his HEV waist, and slung the assault rifle over his shoulder, ammo on the suits belt, along with five grenades. He had carried a lot more than this, and the HEV seemed to give the user the ability to bear larger loads. He rushed back to the surveillance room as quickly as he could, but the heavy feeling dweling in his chest slowed him down.
"Please, hurry Gordon. We should have anticipated this attack. The aliens have been agitated for weeks, why didn't we see this? Please, go down the corridor to the left and wait in the chamber. The portal is opening in a matter of minutes. Good luck." Said Robert - one of the senior technicians in the labs. "Hurry Gordon!" A meticulously clean corridor stood to his left, and Gordon ran down it without protest. An automatic door at the end opened, revealing a vast, chrome teleportation chamber.
"3...2...1... The portal is open Gordon. Good Luck! Contact us using the soldiers transmitter when the area is clear of hostiles" The voice poured out the speaker. "What are you waiting for?" Gordon gulped and ran into the glowing, green, pulsating portal.
For Gordon, everything went black. He could feel nothing. He couldn't turn back, all you could do was relax. He knew what was going to happen next, and after a few seconds, he prepared himself for the imminent, bone jolting shock which occurs when the portal journey comes to an end. The darkness around him brightened slightly, and he slowly unhooked the assault rifle from his shoulder. He didn't know what was waiting for him out there, and he didn't want to take any chances. The blackness was now a subtle grey, and he could just pick out faint shouts and gunshots. 'Hurry up. Come on, come on.' He clutched the rifle tightly. He hadn't had much training since last year, and already, the cumbersome firearm was restricting the little movements he dared to make in the darkness. The gunshots were getting louder, the surroundings lighter. A buzzing filled his head, and he suddenly felt himself falling slowly, the majestic surroundings of Xen filling his vision. As he hit the hard earth, shocks ran through his legs, the HEV doing its job, but still, he stumbled, the rifle catching him hard in the chest; it almost rolled him onto his back. 'Not the most elegant landing ever' He thought to himself, springing quickly into a crouching position, his chest a dull ache. Gordon seemed to be at the bottom of a small slope, maybe a hill, and he scrambled up slowly. He lowered himself to a prone position, and raised the gun to his eye. He could see Alien Grunts, Voltigores, even the odd Houndeye was scampering round, and he immediately wished he had a silenced weapon. He cursed under his breath. 'One shot will have them all onto me' At that moment, a soldier called for assistance to his right, and Gordon noticed Alien Grunts moving to he direction of the shouting. 'Idiot.' He thought to himself. 'He's bringing the Aliens closer, if one of them sees me...' He didn't think on. All he knew, all he wanted to know was that if he didn't get those creatures away, the grunt would't be the only person in trouble. He didn't see any other choice. 'They'll notice me anyway'. He raised his assault rifle, and aimed for the stomach of an advancing Alien Grunt. He discharged only a few shots before the group of Grunts noticed, and they all turned in the direction of the orange-clad human. Gordon fired off a couple more shots, but most seemed to bounce harmlessly of their armor. He released another volley of shots in frustration into the vast paunch of the mildly injured Alien Grunt, and it finally fell. Hornets buzzed past his ear, causing him to fall instinctively to the ground, leaving the bizarre insects to soar over his exposed head. He rolled onto his back, sat up, and released almost a full magazine into the next Grunt before it cried out and collapsed. 'One more... easy' Gordon scrambled up off the ground to dodge another load of Hornets, and then fired off yet another round to finish off the last lumbering Xonian. Gordon heard the soldier cry out, weaker that time.
"Medic! Can anybody hear me?" Gordon took another glance around. To his surprise, none of the other Aliens seemed to have noticed.
"Quieten down, they'll hear us" Gordon whispered as he neared the injured man, who was collapsed on the ground, leaning on a crumbling rock "Can you move?" Gordon asked. Large burns ran down his arms, and his face was streaked with blood; human and alien.
"Who are you?" The young man whispered, his eyes wide open in surprise.
"It doesn't matter at the moment. Can you move? We need to get outta here, fast" He winces.
"No... I don't think I can. One of those, those, electric things got me, right in the chest. They took out all my pals too. I can't breathe." He coughs. Gordon takes another glance at weakening battle which was going on just over the slope.
"I'm sorry, i'm not a medic, just hold out. You'll be fine, just stay awake. Okay? I need to help those guys too. My job is to get you lot outta here. I'm not to sure how at the moment, but I have to try. Are you armed?" He winces again.
"Yeah. I've got a few clips left. I'll be OK. Just say you'll come back?"
"I'll come back. I promise. Be careful." The soldier picked up his rifle, and almost smiled.
"You too."
As Gordon walked around the slope, he glanced back at the injured man behind him. His head was tilted back, his eyes closed already, gun in lap, but his chest, thankfully was still rising and falling slightly. Gordon doubted that he'd survive much longer. He took a deep breath, and carried on. By then, the humans seemed to have pushed back the aliens by this time, and corpses from both sides litter the ground. A lone Voltigore rans forward to attack the soldiers who were dug in deep, but was cut down by the group of three, and let out a cheer. 'They know who's winning too.' Gordon started to run forward towards the jubilant human grunts, assault rifle in hand. They finally noticed him.
"Identification." One of them shouted.
"Gordon Freeman. I'm with you. I was actually sent to help, but you're handling yourself nicely." Gordon said, and slowed down to a jog. They looked at him for a moment.
"OK. Are there many 'things' left?" One of them asked. Gordon walked over to them.
"No, no. Well, not that I could see. Six at the most, well, maybe more. I haven't really explored.. You gonna take 'em out?" Gordon took a look around once more.
"Looks like we have to"There was an uneasy pause. "How'd you get here, portal?"
"Yeah. Just down there. Its still open" Gordon pointed roughly in its direction. "There’s a guy who's been hit pretty hard near it. We should head across soon. I don't actually think those Aliens are gonna be much of a threat now. Come on." They scrambled up the side of he trench.
"Where is it? Come on!" One guy said, reloading his gun. Gordon raised his to his eye, and casually took out a Houndeye which had wandered round a corner, and the whole group started to sprint down the slope.
"Are you the only ones left?" Gordon asked.
"I think theres a few more of us left, two hundred metres, over there." He points behind Gordon. "Mr. Freeman is it?. Did you say that someone was injured?"
"Yeah. Go find him. Wait by the portal, and take out any hostiles you see." They nodded in agreement, and walked off, rifles at the ready, towards the lone soldier. Gordon jogged over the sandy floor, following the very rough directions of the grunt, and trying to avoid the glassy stare of the corpses which littered the battlefield, and checked the trenches for any human, or alien, life. Dust flew up in front of him - a bullet hole! He stopped in his tracks, and raised his arms, and his rifle, into the air. "What was that for?" He cried out.
"You scared me, sorry sir." A lone grunt limped out from a sandbag wall which was ahead. "I wasn't expecting someone in bright orange to pass by."
"You've got a point. Look, i need to contact... Earth, i heard that you had some kind of transmitter..." Before Gordon could finish, he interrupted.
"Follow me." He hopped down into a hole, and blowed grit off a large machine which sat in front of him. "I'm guessing that you're the reinforcements they were sending. Whaddya need me to say?"
"Well, just say that we're ready to come back, and we have casualties." The lively young man slapped earphones on, and a couple of minutes later, he got a crackled reply.
"Gordon, the portal is ready, you've done all you can over in Xen, get through the portal as soon as you can, the aliens are sending up a load of reinforcements You'd better hurry." Whoever was speaking didn't sound too happy with him, but Gordon found no time to think about it. He pulled himself, and the grunt out of the hole, and they both sprinted roughly towards the group he had left minutes later. The four soldiers were waiting by the pulsating green portal impatiantly.
"Go! Get through, theres more Xonians on the way!" The grunts didn't need convincing. All five of them disappeared, closely followed by him.
"Damn it Gordon. What were you doing out there? You were helping that goddamn soldier while others were dying. I saw them dying! We lost a lot of good men out there. Why did you let it happen? Why?" He paced around his office.
"Sir... I thought that it was the right thing to do. I'm sorry. I couldn't just have left him there." Was all Gordon managed, his head tilted down towards his already grimy HEV. "Sorry."
"Sorry isn't enough Gordon. People have died because of you. Look, just get out of my sight before I really lose my temper. Get some rest. Be here tomorrow morning, at ten, no matter what." He glared at Gordon. "What are you waiting for?" Gordon stood, unwilling to anger him any further. "I'll be here at ten. I won't make the same mistake again" He backed out of the room. 'Damn it. He always has to pick up on something.' He wandered down the hallways until he got to his under-furnished room. He typed in his security code and moved straight to his bed and sat down. He only then realised that a trickle of blood was making its way down his cheek, and he angrily wiped it aside. He wearily glanced at the digital clock beside him. '11:56PM? Already? Whatever.' He was tired, and eager to get some sleep, so he stumbled into his bathroom, quickly shedded his HEV, washed, changed, and collapsed into bed, and slept.
"Erm, Gordon, I gave yesterday a lot of thought, and, well, don't worry about it. After last years performance, I've decided that you're the best person for the job." He sat down behind his desk.
"Thank you Sir." Gordon paused. "What job?" He didn't really want to know.
"The Aliens seem to have planned their revolt against us, and more shots have been fired. But unfortunately Gordon, not on Xen." That really caught his attention. "It wasn't anywhere near New Mexico either. It was in fact, in London."
"London? What would they want there?"
"That’s exactly what we want to know. The British Government has kept it under wraps from the public, but have thoughtfully informed us. They think it was only an advance scout; there were only three Alien Slaves involved, but still, the fact that they are bold enough to take us on is very worrying. They have troops on the ready by all important government buildings and powerplants but they want somebody good. You."
"I thought so. Looks like I have no choice. When do I leave?"
